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I read the following statement in an outline forum last week, "As a Canadian, I often feel that Americans are out of touch with the world around them." It was stuck in my head all weekend long.

My daughter was with me the weekend and I asked her about a family roadtrip we took to Canada in 2002, and she immediately recalled the same incident I was thinking about. One exchange with a Canadian that stands out in my mind. We were at a Canadian historic site and the volunteer said she was a school teacher. She asked my children were they local to the area, and where did they go to school. They replied, "we don't live around here, we live in Delaware." Her reply was, "Is that in North Carolina?"

Living on the east coast of the United States, we have been to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., many times. As a family I took my kids on one roadtrip where we visited Ottawa and Toronto, and another where we visited the North Atlantic, driving through New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

While in Canada I compared historic sites and their significance to Canadian government, to similar places in the United States. While we in Ottawa we visited the Canadian Parliament. While in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, we visited the historic sites of the Canadian Articles of Confederation.

An online exchange with an angry Canadian

I vividly recall an online conversation with a Canadian in 2004 where the question was asked, "Are you aware that 85% of Canadians think that the US is partly or fully responsible for the 9/11 incident? What can you say in your defense?"

I asked for a reference to a specific poll that supports the claim, but never saw one. Another statement was made during the conversation, " Are you aware that a recent public opinion poll in Europe has named US and Israel the main threats to world peace."

It is time for my annual rant to get people to quit using the phrase 4th of July for just another excuse to drink and eat and draw attention to the reasons for celebrating Independence Day.

I hope this weekend brings you and your family some time together. Maybe for just a few days, all of who say they are happy to be living in the United States of America can reflect on the common issues that bring us together this weekend.

If I have made you feel guilty about using the 4th of July as an excuse to drink and over eat, you still have Cinco de Mayo, that's Spanish for "Fifth of May." Most American's are clueless as to the significance of that day in Mexican history. Since I do not celebrate Mexican history, I do have no need to drink and over eat on Cinco de Mayo, or explain the significance of the 5th of May.

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The Tao of Questy is about love and laughter and being human. It's about sharing ideas and being a little bit crazy in order to stay sane.